A very busy day of errands, dental appointments and a visit to the auto body shop precluded an in depth reading of today’s over ripe harvest of media except to say that I seem to be alone in expecting President Bush’s spring trip to Europe, Russia and the Middle East to be met with chilly winds.
According to Mike Allen in yesterday’s Washington Post:

President Bush will use an eight-day trip to try to mend his rift with Europe, but only on his terms and with no concessions to the traditional allies that opposed the war in Iraq, White House officials said yesterday…The plans outlined yesterday fell well short of European officials' hopes that a victorious Bush would be in a magnanimous mood. Aides said Bush plans no conciliatory gesture…

I guess American media is locked into the “happy trip” script so we will have to pay extra special attention to all those video moments when leader meets leader. And regardless of his “no concessions” policy can the President now be personally gracious to other world leaders? Watch closely as Mr. Bush pays a courtesy call on French President Jacques Chirac in Evian, France. The visit is said to be “too brief” for any kind of substance. Yeah, that’s it, too brief with the "fizz" not just coming from the water. I don’t know about you but I’d enjoy being a fly on the wall for this tête-à-tête. I can just imagine the deafening ticks of a clock in an icy silence relieved only by the nervous shuffling of the translators' feet. And, before all this, there could have been a tiff with pooty-Poot in St. Petersburg and God knows how many irritating European reporter questions to ruffle our brittle presidential feathers. Maybe old “41” could lend Junior a few Halcion. Then, again, have you heard of this White House inspired Showtime dramatic reenactment of Bush on 911? We could all use a few Halcion.